The "Death Tax" con job

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25. In 2002 an estate was taxed at 50% for the amount above $1 million

This chart will be messed up, but it gives an idea of the historic rates since 2000:

Year .... Exclusion...Max/Top
................Amount ....tax rate
2001 $675,000 55%
2002 $1 million 50%
2003 $1 million 49%
2004 $1.5 million 48%
2005 $1.5 million 47%
2006 $2 million 46%
2007 $2 million 45%
2008 $2 million 45%
2009 $3.5 million 45%
2010 Repealed
2011 $5 million 35%
2012 $5.12 million 35%
2013 $5.25 million[28] 40%
2014 $5.34 million[29] 40%
2015 $5.43 million[30] 40%
2016 $5.45 million[5] 40%
2017 $5.49 million 40%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_tax_in_the_United_States#Exemptions_and_tax_rates

When my grandmother died in 1969 estate taxes were much higher than in the last couple of decades. There was a sort of scam that was perpetuated, at least in my little home town. The guy that did most estate appraisals for most of the well to do white people called all furniture "used junk furniture," artwork and paintings were "decor items," and other personal possessions were just "old clothes and costume jewelry." The only jewelry that was appraised by an expert were the few items that she designated in her will. Real estate also had to be professionally appraised and taxed accordingly.

Antique furniture that had been in the family for 200 years was valued at junk store prices. Original paintings were priced as though they were the commercially printed reproductions given away at the grocery store. My grandmother's fur coat was valued as if it were a wool coat from Goodwill.

He would have valued your grandmother's artwork as "decor items" and priced them as if they came from the five & dime!

Even as a teenager I could see this was a scam to keep the government from getting more taxes. But given situations like your family's back then, I don't really blame the man - he'd known my grandmother and grandfather since they moved to Florida in 1925. Many of the other families he performed the same service for he'd known all his life. He considered it a favor for friends so they could keep the families possessions together.